I was invited to a friend’s dinner gathering and offered to bring an appetizer. Antipasti skewers seemed like a good idea because they could be made ahead, traveled well and required no last-minute oven negotiations. The abundance of basil in my garden was also begging to be utilized. They also gave me an excuse to assemble approximately 47 ingredients on my kitchen counter. For an ADD foodie, that’s a win. I used cheese tortellini, fresh mozzarella balls, roasted bell peppers, salami,...

I already had broccoli and spinach in the refrigerator for too long. Every time I opened the fridge for half & half or a seltzer, they judged me. If they’d had fingers, they’d have wagged them at me. (I always overbuy fruit and veggies - it’s a terrible habit.) They had reached that stage where they were still technically edible, but I was mentally X-ing the days on the calendar. Oh, the guilt. Then my friend Wendy announced that she was going on a trip and arrived with two zucchini of her...

In my house, it’s the season of lining tomatoes on my windowsills, and there are few happier sights in my kitchen. Fat red tomatoes, little orange ones, slightly lopsided ones, all sitting there looking beautiful and ripening faster than I can possibly eat them. I saved the wee ones to snack on and grabbed the fat red ones. My friend Wendy was planning on stopping over for a quick dirty martini. Or two. And since even I recognize that a dirty martini probably shouldn’t count as dinner...